Wednesday, April 22, 2009

How Much For The Heaven?

PEOPLE LIKE ABU BAKR AL SIDDIQ AND SAYYIDINA OMAR AL KHATAB paid a big price for a piece of heaven. Here I am hoping to get my share of heaven as if I am entitled to be admitted right in when the fact is; I spend not more than 25 minutes a day performing my daily prayers in the comfort of a fully air-conditioned room. You may see me pray but I know my mind is not. In fact I'm thinking of where to go after this and who I should go see to have tea with. During Ramadhan I fast in the comfort of knowing that food is abundance during iftar. As a matter of fact there's so much food that I often wonder why should I worry about the poor and how hungry they can get. I live each day without having to worry about the threat of poverty. Forget about dakwah because it's too bothersome to spread Islam to those who need it. Forget about going from one masjid to another to study the kitab to understand Islam better. Forget about putting up with the discomfort of a pondok to study basic knowledge of Islam. Forget about putting up the effort to increase the iman because it's too hot be out in the sun to do anything in the name of Islam. Forget about learning the Qur'an and Hadith to understand Islam better. Forget about putting the effort to do anything connected to increase the level of iman. Forget about sacrificing anything for Islam because the money is meant for other things like nice clothes, nice shoes, nice car, new handphone, new computer, holiday abroad and a million other things I have to do and buy before I die. Forget about sacrificing my time to help the orphans. Forget about spending time for Islam because I may be too busy watching a nice movie on my big LCD TV. Forget about donating my wealth to those poor students who need the money to study in Jordan or Mesir. But hey, I'm a good Muslim.

I don't drink. I don't womanize. And I go to mosque every now and then. I attend Tahlil every now and then. I listen to Islamic programs on TV. I'm a good Muslim. I deserve to go to heaven. I don't sin. I do good deeds. I deserve the heaven.

For Malaysians, heaven is dirt cheap. For others, you may have to pay with your life to get to heaven. Abu Bakar Al-Siddiq. Omar Al-Khatab. Why Allah made it so expensive for them to get to heaven? And why Allah seems to make it easy for Malaysians to get to heaven? We don't have earthquakes, we don't have floods, we don't have famine, we don't have wars, we don't have anything with which we can measure our Iman.

And I wonder what's so special about me that I pray in the comfort of a huge room fully air-conditioned by 2 horse power digital-control Panasonic, and never have to worry about hunger while Rasulullah S.A.W pray in a room not bigger than a dinner table and he doesn't have enough to eat. And here I am demanding heaven as if I deserve it more than those who devote their entire life to search for Iman.

We must be one heck of a lucky people. We must be better than Abu Bakr Al Siddiq and Omar Al Khatab put together. As a matter of fact, we may have the impression that we are luckier than Rasulullah S.A.W.

I am blind as fried fish. Stupid as a chopping board. Arrogant as a door mat. And deaf as a dead mouse.

24 Comments:

Anonymous simpleJane said...

mom told me of a story that sums up that its really not difficult to go to heaven. just do everything wajib fullheartedly without fail. everything else is a bonus.

sigh... its not gonna be easy for me.

12:56 AM  
Blogger Ina said...

Dear Sir,

What can I say?!! except Ouch! ouch and more Ouch! Your words made me cringe because I'm as bad if not worse than you...sigh... Comforts really does make you complacent...sigh...

3:43 AM  
Blogger Kama At-Tarawis said...

Truth is extremely painful to hear, but hear we must, and take heed from it.

7:16 AM  
Blogger Fi-sha said...

Dear Encik Bergen
Thanks for this. We always thought we are damn good when we are just dirt 'cheap'.

Thanks for reminding me that I am not good to deserve all the comfort Allah has given me - i should do more.

Take care Encik Bergen

7:40 AM  
Blogger Zendra-Maria said...

Touché, Sir. That got me, too.

10:23 AM  
Blogger Snakebite said...

you have described me very well indeed sir.

i am hoping even that the occassional delibrate 'sins' be overlooked and still be admitted to heaven.

10:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

at least, you are in the known......btw, first time hearing stupid as the chopping board...he he he.....tq

-ms.lambchop-

2:02 PM  
Blogger Saya... said...

Bergen...the chopping board is NOT stupid..its very self sacrificing... :)

2:41 PM  
Blogger ZABS said...

Salam Bergen,
Hanya keredhaan Allah sahaja yang kita harapkan.

4:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

At least fried fish died serving human needs for good food and it probably dies going straight to heaven. It is another story for its eater.

Very reflective piece, sir.

-auntida-

6:40 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Thx very much for this piece, Mr.B.
Bless you.

9:53 PM  
Anonymous Dhahran Sea said...

Salam Sir Bergen,
Thoughtful & darn honest piece & reminder! Also reminded me of Saidina Umar's lamenting that he "wished" he could be a bird... free of accountabilities and "answerabilities"... I suppose the more earthly comforts we have the more we'd be audited and asked for accountabilities later... semoga Allah mudahkan perhitungan kita di padang mashar nanti, amin!

1:57 AM  
Blogger Fauziah Ismail said...

Salam Bergen
Thank you for the reminder.

2:28 AM  
Blogger AyKay said...

Salam to the blog owner,

I m just landed out of nowhere and was not invited either. But, reading ur n3, allow me to spare my humble view.

1stly, we must be thankful for being selected as a human, not as a chicken or otherwise. then, even better being a muslim and not as a Jews or otherwise.

2ndly, from my little knowledge of seerah of Nabi s.a.w and his sahabats, in their Aqidah they weren't looking at what they have done but to what they have not done as a Hamba, that explain why Nabi s.a.w (from sahih Muslim) used to Istighfar not less than 100 (some said 70) times a day. And Umar r.a always pray to be one of the Choosen one.

We, we tend to look at what good we have done, and feel that we have done something that is worth a place in heaven, forgetting about what we have missed as a Hamba.

Again, salam ziarah and may Allah Bless all of us.

10:52 AM  
Blogger said mirro said...

Sir Berg,
It's no longer a tickle, it's a pinch now!

12:44 PM  
Blogger Lollies said...

And despite guaranteed Jannah for Abu Bakar As Sidiq and in fact the fisrt Muslim after the prophets to enter it and also Omar Al Khattab, they still fear that they would enter hell.

We on the other hand have no guarantee at all.

12:45 AM  
Blogger f said...

Salaam Sir,

I mintak izin copy this entry and paste it to my Facebook's notes and also forward it via email to few friends and loved ones.Tqvm.
May God bless us all

:)

12:50 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hmm..may GOD bless you , dear sir, may GOD bless us all..

Amin.

4:05 PM  
Blogger Jo Kontan said...

Sir Bergeng,

Te-ri-ma-kaseh.

6:02 PM  
Blogger nadya.s said...

berg sir,
indeed, a poke i need. this is a good reminder.thank you.

7:54 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks a lot..for reminding. we tend to forget.

11:30 PM  
Blogger anedra said...

Sir - what a powerful piece! What a wake up call, smething all of us need every now and then! I'll have my son read it too!

By the way, don't bother dropping by at my blog. Not that you're not welcome. It's just that there's nothing happening there! I blog in my head now! Haha, bad excuse I know..

9:30 AM  
Blogger tokasid said...

Salam Bergen:

At the rate I am going...I am not qualified to smell the aromatic jannah.

My mind goes from one end of the world to another while performing solat which if this continues the solats would be thrown smack into my face on judgement day.

I am clinging and hoping for ALLAH's rahmat and the the little bits of ikhlas that I have to get me through the gates of heaven.

You're right when stating the heaven is cheap nowadays esp in Malaysia among us malays. We have such a high confidence of going to syurga esp via the shortcut ways.

Thanks for this wonderful reminder,sir.

12:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

How difficult to work for heaven. No one can be good enough for Allah Yang Maha Kuasa. Only one was or ever will be perfect, Isa Al Masih. He has paid the price for heaven. We only need to accept the free gift.

5:41 AM  

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